Johnny Benson

The Sprint Cup Series will be restrictor-plate racing Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is my favorite to get to Victory Lane and pick up his first career win for Hendrick Motorsports and his sixth triumph at the 2.66-mile tri-oval.

Working in Junior’s favor
For years while he was driving for Dale Earnhardt Inc. Junior was ultra tough to beat at the two superspeedways on the Cup circuit – Talladega and Daytona. When it comes to success at such tracks DEI has an impressive past. But Junior’s new team – Hendrick Motorsports, which he joined after last season – is also top-notch when it comes to restrictor-plate racing. The work done by the organization on the engines and the chassis it gives to its drivers at the superspeedways is awfully hard to match.

Junior’s Talladega finale with DEI last fall was spoiled by engine woes, but he has five wins and two runner-up finishes in his last 13 races at the Alabama track. Overall his Talladega Cup racing resume features five wins, seven top-fives and nine top-10s in 16 starts. And how’s this for an impressive stat: Junior has led for 21 percent of the laps he's run on this superspeedway (570 of 2,684).

Although he hasn’t won yet this season Junior’s not getting frustrated because the No. 88 Chevrolet has performed well with only one finish outside of the top 12 over the first eight races on the schedule. When you run like that you can expect to be in good shape even without a victory and Junior is sitting pretty as he’s third in the points standings.

Sunday will mark Junior’s 300th career start in the Cup series and it’s fitting the milestone will take place at Talladega, a track Junior loves to race at. In 10 years on the Cup circuit, he has posted 17 wins, eight pole positions, 79 top-fives and 127 top-10s. His 5,842 laps led is fourth among all drivers since 1999. He’s still seeking his first Cup championship and the move to Hendrick Motorsports may prove magic for him in achieving that goal.

Other drivers to watch
Jeff Gordon, who is bidding for his third consecutive Cup win at Talladega after a sweep last year, has to be figured a top contender. Gordon also drives for Hendrick Motorsports and he runs so well at this venue that it would surprise no one if on Sunday he gave us another chapter in the dominant story he has been writing at Talladega throughout his career.

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Gordon’s win at Talladega last fall was his sixth restrictor-plate victory since 2004, and his 12th overall (the most of any driver). Gordon's got star power and it seems he never fails to show it on this superspeedway. Over the years he and his team have gotten an iron grip on how to take the checkers at Talladega.

Gordon has six wins at Talladega. He also has 13 top-fives and 16 top-10s. He's led in 24 of his 30 races for over 800 laps at this track, where he has an average finish of 14.9. Racing at this venue should give the four-time Cup champion an excellent shot at rising from 13th in the points standings.

A third Hendrick Motorsports driver, two-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, was the runner-up to Gordon at both Talladega races last year. This is his 13th Cup start at the Alabama superspeedway, where in addition to a win in 2006 he also has two poles, four top-fives, and five top-10s. He's led 11 of 12 races for 186 laps, and has an average finish of 17.8.

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In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, Kyle Busch – formerly of Hendrick Motorsports – is off to a tremendous start. He’s second in the points standings and not only has he won in the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series, but he has won three times already in the Nationwide Series. In six Cup starts at Talladega, Kyle’s top finish is 11th (in the fall of 2006), but with the way he has been running this season he’s got a great shot at bettering that on Sunday.

One of Kyle’s teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing, Tony Stewart, also must be considered a prime threat to make it to Victory Lane. The two-time Cup champion has never won a Cup event at Talladega, but he has finished second in three of his last six starts at the superspeedway. Overall at the Alabama track Stewart has a half dozen second-place results. He's led 12 of 18 races for 183 laps.

With a series-leading three wins over the first two months of the schedule, Carl Edwards looks to be headed for a really big year – perhaps even a championship one. Edwards and the Roush-Fenway Racing team of the No. 99 Ford have been a lot more consistent than I had anticipated. Edwards has an up-and-down past on the superspeedways, but look for him to be a force to be reckoned with at Talladega.

Penske Racing South took the first superspeedway event of the season with Ryan Newman winning at Daytona, but at Talladega it’s one of Newman’s teammates, Kurt Busch, who grabs a lot of attention with his consistency as he has eight top-10s in his last nine Cup starts at the Alabama track.

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